thats when you offer a player in lieu of salary the opportunity to harvest 1/2 a pound of weed off every crop you grow for the term of his contract, but he has to cut it down by himself...hence "cutdown"...God you guys are slow...

thats when you offer a player in lieu of salary the opportunity to harvest 1/2 a pound of weed off every crop you grow for the term of his contract, but he has to cut it down by himself...hence "cutdown"...God you guys are slow...

Looks like it is basically team-elected arbitration in lieu of a Qualifying Offer:

12.3 Eligibility for Club-Elected Salary Arbitration. Subject to subsections (c) and (d) below and the eligibility requirements set forth in Article 12.1, a Club will have the right to elect to take a Player to salary arbitration under the following conditions:

(a)Club-Elected Salary Arbitration For Players With Paragraph 1 NHL Salaries plus Signing, Roster, and Reporting Bonuses Greater Than $1,500,000 In The Prior League Year.(i) If a Player who is otherwise eligible to receive a Qualifying Offer and become a Group 2 Restricted Free Agent had a Paragraph 1 NHL Salary plus Signing, Roster and Reporting Bonuses in excess of $1,500,000 in the aggregate in the final League Year of his most recent SPC, a Club may elect to file for salary arbitration to determine the Player's Paragraph 1 Salary for the upcoming League Year in lieu of making a Qualifying Offer to such Player. (ii)In any salary arbitration that takes place pursuant to this Section 12.3(a), the Salary Arbitrator may not award the Player a Paragraph 1 Salary that is less than eighty-five (85) percent of the aggregate sum of Player's Paragraph 1 Salary plus Signing, Reporting and Roster Bonuses in the final League Year of his most recent SPC.

Raymond got $2.6m this year, 85% of which is the $2.21m figure Dreger used.

Well, it could also be about holding onto Raymond's rights until late July (I think that's when they start hearing arbitration cases) without running the risk that he accepts his $2.6m qualifying offer..

He's got limited rights and no bargaining power. If Gillis can sign him to an even friendlier cap hit, they can either keep him on as a spare part to start the season, or increase his trade value slightly by having an accommodating cap hit.

Even though all accounts suggest the cap raising again, it never hurts to make every penny count.

BladesofSteel wrote:$400k, plus the the 10% of $2.6 (260k) it would require to qualify.

He's got limited rights and no bargaining power. If Gillis can sign him to an even friendlier cap hit, they can either keep him on as a spare part to start the season, or increase his trade value slightly by having an accommodating cap hit.

Even though all accounts suggest the cap raising again, it never hurts to make every penny count.

Does the 10% raise apply to Raymond's qualifying offer? I thought that was only if the player was making less than the league's average salary, but I may be incorrect.

"When we signed you two years ago, we anticipated you developing to the next level, however playing injured the last two years has been a setback in your development. We believe are are still an asset to the team and have a role to fill but the facts are, throughout your current contract you have earned more money than Alex Burrows while playing a lesser role than Jannick Hansen. Let's slide your rate back a bit and have a look at you when healthy.

MG hates to walk away from assets so this is a good move for him. Raymond has little bargaining power but lets face it if the arbitrator buys the playing through and after serious injuries line he could award Raymond much more as I am sure he and his agent will counter. If that happens the Canucks cannot walk away. I wouldn't be surprised to see another 1-2 year deal worked out for below what he is making now to keep it cap friendly all the while allowing the Canucks the opportunity to trade him at some point if they want to.

If I am Raymond I take the one year deal at 2.2. But thats just me.

When you think about it all contracts should be handled this way. When your contract is up the team should always have the right to offer less to RFA's based upon how they performed under the old contract. It shouldn't be a one time thing IMHO.

Hockey Widow wrote:if the arbitrator buys the playing through and after serious injuries line he could award Raymond much more as I am sure he and his agent will counter. If that happens the Canucks cannot walk away.

They cant walk away but they could stick his ass on the farm if they need the cap space.

That would be worst case for Raymond, and a big reason why he should be reasonable.